Yannik Zamboni sets his sights on transforming the fashion industry

“Yannik Zamboni takes the fashion industry to task” says the headline of an interview with the founder of maison blanche in “Schweizer Illustrierte”. As the 37-year-old fashion designer explains, the entire textiles and fashion industry “is based on exploitation”. With maison blanche, Zamboni is seeking to “prove that you can run a successful business under fair conditions”.

In specific terms, Zamboni, who hails from the Basel region, has now broken off from Amazon as a sales partner. Attempts to make a big impact with small changes at Amazon have failed. “I have been committed to sustainability, fair wages and biodegradable and vegan textiles since the very beginning”, Zamboni says, before adding: “That would have become a problem with the new deal with Amazon and the large production volume."

Now, however, maison blanche intends to establish itself on an independent footing through a crowdfunding model. After moving away from Amazon, Zamboni claims that he has been forced to cut half of his staff. However, the remaining employees and Zamboni himself could make a living from their work.

The fashion designer is motivated by his own experiences in the industry. During an internship, he got a glimpse of “the bad side” of the fashion business, as Zamboni explains in the interview. “For example, the fashion industry is the second biggest polluter in the world”, he says, before stating that changing this industry alone would have “a massive impact”. ce/hs